Netflix earnings tomorrow / "The Idol" teaser / Bloys re-ups with HBO / "Abbott Elementary" lawsuit

Plus today's calendar, more "Fear Street," "Close Enough" canceled, Korean streaming merger, "Breaking Bad" statues, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network July 18, 2022

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Netflix's "The Gray Man" Netflix will release its second-quarter earnings report this week, on Tuesday. Wall Street analysts are anticipating further subscriber losses this quarter, due to rising inflation and signs of recession, along with some inevitable churn following the release of "Stranger Things" Season 4. More: Netflix currently has around 221.6 million global subscribers, a figure which could dip even further following tomorrow's announcement. The streamer is also expected to provide fresh details on its upcoming lower-cost, ad-supported subscription tier, which it's developing in collaboration with Microsoft. According to Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall, investors across the board are demonstrating "low conviction" in Netflix and its management team, leading to "another wait and see quarter." On Friday, Netflix will release "The Gray Man," a costly action-thriller from "Avengers: Endgame" directors the Russo Brothers which could lead to a potential franchise if audiences respond positively. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

HBO posted a teaser for the upcoming drama series "The Idol," from "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson and R&B singer Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye. Tesfaye co-created and stars in the six-episode series as a cult leader and self-help guru who enters a complicated relationship with a pop star (Lily-Rose Depp). More: The series co-stars Troye Sivan, Steve Zissis, Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Anne Heche, Rachel Sennott, Hari Nef, and Jennie of the K-pop girl group Blackpink. No release date has yet been announced. The teaser memorably refers to the duo of Levinson and Tesfaye as "sick and twisted" and promises the "sleaziest" of all Hollywood love stories. The series underwent a major creative overhaul in April, leading to the departure of filmmaker Amy Seimetz, who was set to direct all six episodes, along with several other writers and producers; Levinson stepped in as director. EW

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DAILY CALENDAR MONDAY, JULY 18 THE OTHER ONE: The British sitcom airs on BBC One in the UK, and centers on half-sisters (Ellie White and Lauren Socha) who only learned of one another's existence after the untimely death of their shared father. "Dead Boss" vet Holly Walsh created the series, and also writes and directs. Season 2 comes to Acorn TV today in the US. [Acorn TV] THE CURSED: 2021 period horror film from writer/director Sean Ellis ("Anthropoid"), set in 19th Century France, about a rural village that's threatened by a mysterious supernatural menace. Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie, and Roxane Duran co-star. "The Cursed" premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. [Hulu] THE SUBMARINE KILLER: CONFESSIONS OF A MURDERER: 5-episode true-crime docuseries built around a prison interview with Peter Madsen, the engineer and entrepreneur who was convicted in 2017 of killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his experimental submarine, the UC3 Nautilius.  [Discovery+] THE TIKTOK MAN: CATCHING A PREDATOR: Debut docuseries chronicling the search for a serial predator from Denmark who uses TikTok to identify and harass his victims. [Discovery+] MY LITTLE PONY: A NEW GENERATION: SING-ALONG: This updated version of the 2021 animated feature -- introducing the fifth incarnation of the "My Little Pony" franchise -- includes song lyrics on screen, inviting viewers to sing along. The voice cast includes Vanessa Hudgens, Kimiko Glenn, James Marsden, Sofia Carson, and Liza Koshy. The film leads into a new "My Little Pony" animated series, debuting on Netflix this September. [Netflix] STORYBOTS: LAUGH, LEARN, SING: The animated educational series invites kids to learn simple lessons along with robots Beep, Boop, Bing, Bang, and Bo. This new collection of episodes covers the fundamentals of language and reading. [Netflix] LIVE IS LIFE: Coming-of-age comedy-drama feature from Spain, set in the year 1985, about five high school friends who go on one last summer adventure together before joining the adult world. Dani de la Toree ("La Unidad") directed. [Netflix] TOO OLD FOR FAIRY TALES (ZA DUŻY NA BAJKI): Family comedy film from Poland about a video game-obsessed 10-year-old (Maciej Karas) who's forced to go live with his tough and unpredictable aunt (Dorota Kolak), and learns about the beauty of life outside his bedroom. [Netflix]

HBO and HBO Max content chief Casey Bloys signed a new five-year contract to continue working in his role for Warner Bros. Discovery. Last week, the network and streamer racked up 140 Emmy nominations. More: Bloys' current deal doesn't expire until late 2023/early 2024; the new contract will begin immediately and supersede all previous deals. Bloys has now served in his current role for the past seven years; he will continue reporting directly to WB Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Two other key WB Discovery executives -- CFO Gunnar Wiedenfelds and Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Burce Campbell -- also recently renewed their contracts with the company. DEADLINE

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An aspiring writer and actor has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against ABC and "Abbott Elementary" creator Quinta Brunson. Christine Davis claims that the show borrowed the premise from her original script, titled "This School Year," without permission. More: According to the lawsuit, similarities between "This School Year" and "Abbott Elementary" include the inner-city school setting, several character concepts, and the mockumentary format. Davis wrote "This School Year" in 2018 and registered it with the copyright office in 2020; "Abbott Elementary" debuted on ABC in December of 2021. Representatives for ABC, Brunson and "Abbott" studio Blue Parks Productions did not respond to requests for comment about the suit. Davis claims she had multiple meetings with Blue Parks executives regarding "This School Year." The first season of "Abbott Elementary" has been nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards this year, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress for Brunson. THE WRAP

According to author R.L. Stine, Netflix is developing more projects in the "Fear Street" teen horror franchise. Stine told Yahoo that he's heard "rumors" about more "Fear Street" films for Netflix, "because the first ones did so well last summer." More: Leigh Janiak directed all three films in Netflix's "Fear Street" series, all of which debuted weeks apart last summer. Though Stine is best known for the "Goosebumps" series for young kids, the "Fear Street" books and films are more violent and aimed at teen audiences. BLOODY DISGUSTING

HBO Max canceled the animated comedy series "Close Enough" after three seasons. The show was created by "Regular Show" vet JG Quintel, who also voiced one of the main characters. More: The series centered on a married couple (Quintel and Gabrielle Walsh) raising a young daughter in a cramped LA apartment that they share with another couple. The voice cast also included Jason Mantzoukas, Kimiko Glenn, Jessica DiCiccio, Danielle Brooks, and James Adomian. Quintel tweeted: "I feel fortunate to have worked on this project with so many talented people. Thank you to everyone that helped bring it to life, and to everyone who watched!" "Close Enough" was originally developed for TBS before moving over to HBO Max in 2020. TV LINE

According to regulatory filings, Korea's TVing and Seezn streaming platforms plan to merge into a single company. TVing CEO Yang Ji-eul said the combined company aims to be the world's top producer of original Korean content. More: TVing will functionally absorb Seezn and become the largest native Korean streaming platform. The combined platform will likely have around 5 million subscribers, putting it ahead of the current leader -- Wavve -- which sits at around 4.23 million subs. Netflix has around 11.2 million Korean subscribers. Disney+ and Apple TV+ also recently made debuts in Korea; HBO Max and Paramount+ are likely to follow later this year. VARIETY

The city of Albuquerque will unveil bronze statues of the "Breaking Bad" characters Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (played by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul) at the city's Convention Center on July 29. The statues were sculpted by artist Trevor Grove and donated to the city by "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan and Sony Pictures Television. More: Cranston, Paul, and Gilligan will attend the unveiling ceremony on the 29th along with Albuquerque mayor Tim Keller. "Breaking Bad" was set and produced in Albuquerque, as was its follow-up film "El Camino" and prequel series, "Better Call Saul," which is now airing its final season. CNN

QUICK HITS Ransomware attacks grew by 485% in 2020. This multi-pronged approach can help organizations respond to and recover from ransomware attacks.* Writer, comedian, and actor Jak Knight -- who'd made appearances on "Black-ish" and "Big Mouth" -- passed away over the weekend at age 28; no cause of death was provided. "Blindspotting" vet Rafael Casal joined the cast of Disney+'s "Loki" for its upcoming second season; no word yet on who he's playing, though online rumors suggest it could be the Marvel Comics villain Zaniac. While discussing his new film "Mr. Harris Goes to Paris" with TheList, actor Jason Isaacs suggested that he'd be open to making an appearance as Captain Gabriel Lorca on the "Star Trek" spinoff series "Strange New Worlds"; the character debuted on Season 1 of "Star Trek: Discovery." The music video for Kate Bush's song "Running Up That Hill" -- which has won over a new audience after being featured prominently in Season 4 of "Stranger Things" -- exceeded 100 million YouTube views over the weekend; the song is now Bush's very first Top 10 hit in the United States. Palisades Media Group, the Los Angeles marketing agency noted for its work with Netflix, abruptly went out of business on Friday after 26 years; owner and CEO Roger Schaffner did not respond to requests for comment. New showrunners Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt spoke with Entertainment Weekly about reinventing "Quantum Leap" for a new generation while also honoring the original show's legacy; the new series debuts in September on NBC. How’s your current digital marketing strategy? Make it even stronger with our new interactive worksheet.* *This is sponsored content

Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." Editor Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade.

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